boost gauge fitting

[Rage]

i have a 1.5 td nova that i want to fit a boost gauge to so i can monitor what the turbo is doing but i wouldn't have a clue where to fit the gauge line to to get the correct reading.

the only place i can think of is the actuator line as it comes off the side of the boost side of the turbo right under the jubilee clip for the intake pipe. no my thinking is that the actuator is operated at 'x' amount of pressure to open the internal wastegate to stop the turbo overboosting so surely the line going to the actuator is under the same pressure as is being supplied to the engine so this in my mind is a good place to 't' off of for the boost gauge?

i have asked this same question on png but have no answers yet so figured i would give you guys a go

[planetc]

Boost side of the turbo, close to the turbo itself. If that is where the actuator picks up from then it will do.

[Rage]

am i right in thinking that the actuator works on positive pressure not vacuum then?

by 't'ing into the actuator line would that affect the actuator operation at all?

[planetc]

I'm working from general knowledge tbh, not specific knowledge of this design...it's too many years since I worked with one to remember. Usually, on mechanical diesels,, with no electronics controlling the boost, the actuator controls the boost by opening the wastegate when the boost reaches the desired level. This is why you can add a bleed valve that fools the system into believing max boost has not yet been reached, keeping the wastegate closed and spooling the turbo longer. Easy enough to confirm, just check that the wastegate is 'normally' closed.

[planetc]

Looking at this on a 17td, which is essentially the same, I would suggest that what I described above is exactly what you have....
http://www.migweb.co.uk/forums/engines- ... ngine.html

[Rage]

awesome cheers. in the second pic of that link where the pipe comes off the side of the turbo for the actuator mine comes off the side of the output pipe and my turbo also faces up instead of down like those ones probably due to me not having an intercooler. which leads to my next question for a future mod if i was to fit an intercooler would i be able to turn the compressor side of the turbo to face down or would i need to get bends to route it to the cooler? if i can turn the turbo would i need any gaskets or anything?

[planetc]

I believe that you can turn them, but you will need to research the possibility of requiring seals or gaskets to do so. It is something I have seen mentioned on the t4 forum regards to 2.4 turbo additions.

[Rage]

nice one cheers need some sort of rep meter so i can add to yours for you.
still haven't had a single reply from the png guys would have thought they would have known straight away

[Rage]

boost gauge fitted and working just need to route it and fit it in a proper home now. it reads 9 psi boost at max is this about right for a 1.5 td? been trying to find answers but no luck yet

[planetc]

Probably about right I would guess.... but I don't know what they should boost to in all honesty.

[Rage]

thats the bit im having trouble finding out can find all sorts of info about how far people have pushed them just nothing about what they should be standard i only want to know so i can see if i have a healthy boost before i look at doing anything

[planetc]

Information is probably on TIS, if someone here has it?

[planetc]

There is an archive page on png which suggests approx 0.7 bar standard, which makes your 9psi pretty close to where it should be as standard. I'll post the link in a minute.

[planetc]

http://www.pngclub.com/forum/archive/in ... 84830.html

[planetc]

It guides you through fitting the bleed valve, and then testing with it closed, which is basically standard.

[Rage]

cheers for all your help i think i had skim read that before i'll have to read it properly found the standard 0.7 bar bit works out to 10.1526 psi so i'm about 1 psi down on boost but at the same time i don't know how well calibrated my boost gauge is looks like i'm going to start being able to play about soon

[planetc]

It does say 'about', and 1psi is not much when converted to bar so it's probably ok anyway.

[Rage]

Yeah 1 psi is naff all but now I know my turbo is good I am happy